Improvement in clasps



L H. EASTMAN. Clasps.

N0. 145,097. Pat ented Dec. 2,1873.

; UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH H. EASTMAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT m cLAsPs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. [45,097, dated December2, 1873; application filed November 3, 12573.

To all whom it may concern: pi

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. EAsTMAN, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Clasps; and I hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which.Figure l is a perspective view of my improved clasp. Fig. 2 is a frontview of the same, enlarged. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectilpnal view,showing the double-headed pin or s 'de.

Like letters refer to like parts in the different figures of thedrawings.

The object of my invention is to furnish a neat, cheap, and efi'ectiveportable clasp, which can be used for a great variety of purposes,

such as hanging or supporting towels, or articles of like nature,without injury to the fabric; for desk use in filing letters and paperstemporarily; for hanging up hats, caps, and small parcels in the carsattaching tags to clothing, rolls of cloth, and other goods and also inthe construction of stockingsupporters and suspenders.

In Fig. 1, AB is apiece of sheet metal, bent, as shown in Fig. 3, toform the jaws of the clasp, the upper jaw, A, being turned or bentdownwardly into a lip, the lower jaw being straight and extendingsomewhat beyond the upper jaw. C is a metal ring disposed in the hingeof the clasp, and is used for supporting or hanging up the same wheneverrequired. Through'the jaws A B there are corresponding longitudinalslots, in which is arranged a double-headed pin or slide, E. At each endof these slots, and at other parts of the same, as

may be required, and on the outer surfaces of the jaws, are smalldepressions or countersinks, into which the heads of the pin or slide Efall as the pin is moved back and forth in the slot, the body of theclasp being constructed 6f elastic sheet metal, and so bent or formed asto have a constant tendency to spring apart vjpluntarily, so that whenthe slide Eis at the end of the slot nearest the ring C the clasp willopen to its fullest extent. If, when the clasp is thus open, the articleit is desired to hold or grasp be inserted between the jaws A B, and theslide E be pushed toward the end of the clasp opposite the ring 0, theheads of the slide will come into contact with the jaws A B, as it ismoved along, and will gradually close the mouth of the clasp upon thearticle to be held, as will be readily understood. The body part or jawsof the clasps being of elastic sheet metal, when the lip z of the upperjaw is firmly pressed upon the article in the mouth of the clasp bymeans of the slide E having advanced-for instance, to the middle of theslot-if now the slide is pushed still farther toward the mouth of theclasp, the heads of the slide or pin will be forcibly brought intocontact with the outer surfaces of the jaws, springing or bending themdownward or inwardly until the pin or slide reaches a point in itscourse corresponding with a countersink or depression, D, when theexpansive action of the parts A B will cause the heads of the slide tofall into the depressions on either side of the clasp, thus locking it,and also preventing the pin from being accidentally slipped or pushedback toward the ring 0, by which the jaws or mouth of the clasp would beallowed to open, and the article being held escape.

I am aware that a patent was granted to S. K. Ellis, of ,VValtham, inthe State of Massachusetts, April 8, 1873, for an improvement in theclasps of stocking-supporters, said clasp being constructed with twolips, one being plain and the other provided with teeth, and shuttingpast each other in closing, to which there are many obvious objections.The Ellis clasp, above referred to, also has guards or raised stopsstruck up in the metal of which the jaws are formed, and is providedwith a slide or hoop passing around the jaws on the outside of the same;but one of the principal objections to this arrangement is that the topof the stocking or article to be held is liable to be pushed too farinto the clasp, so that when the slide is attempted to be used the claspis' found to be choked, and the jaws of the same cannot be properlyclosed.

This object-ion is entirely obviated in my in vention by the use of thepin E passing down through the jaws of the clasp, as shown, and which,as it is moved along its slot toward the mouth of clasp, operates topush the top of the stocking, or whatever has been inserted into theclasp for the purpose of being held, away from and out of the throat ofthe clasp, thus allowing the jaws to be effectually closed. Anotherobjection to the-Ellis clasp is the liability to tear the article beingheld by it, which is overcome or obviated in my invention by means ofthe straight lower jaw extending beyond the upper jaw, which has thelip, as shown at 2, so that the article being grasped has a firm andeven support as it rests against the lower jaw, said support beingequally divided by said lip, and is not cramped by the jaws, as in theEllis clasp.

I, therefore, layno claim to any part of the invention described in saidLetters Patent, when in itself considered; but

What I do claim is-- The jaws A B, ring 0, double-headed slide E, andcountersunk slot, the whole being constructed, combined, and usedsubstantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

J OS. H. EASTMAN.

Witnesses:

A. O. MURDocK, OHAs. Ln'rcrs.

